1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copier, a printer, a facsimile machine, etc., and more particularly to an image forming apparatus including a structure openable and closable with respect to a main body.
2. Discussion of the Background Art
There are image forming apparatuses such copiers, printers, facsimile machines, etc., that include an exterior cover that can be opened to expose an interior of a main body of the image forming apparatus. In cases of image forming apparatuses including a scanner, a pressure plate or an automatic document feeder (ADF) included therein is typically openable with respect to a main body of the image forming apparatus or a scanner part.
Further, in recent years, there are an increasing number of image forming apparatuses that include a sheet discharge space inside a housing thereof. In some cases, such a sheet discharge space is located at an upper part on which a scanner is provided. The upper part is configured to be openable with respect to a main body, together with the scanner.
When such an openable body includes a scanner and an ADF, the openable body is heavy and a large force is required to open and close the entire openable body. Further, if the openable body closes quickly, a user's hand might get caught between the heavy openable body and the main body.
Therefore, there are image forming apparatuses including an open-close assist mechanism provided between an openable body and a main body, to reduce the force needed to open and close the openable body and prevent damage to the main body and injury to users. Such open-close assist mechanism typically uses a damper, a spring, etc, and is also referred to as a shock absorber or a bias mechanism.
One related-art example of an image forming apparatus includes a main body and an openable body including a scanner part. The openable body opens and closes with respect to the main body by rotating around a rotary shaft provided at one end thereof. The image forming apparatus further includes a shock absorber provided at the other end opposite to the rotary shaft and a bias mechanism to bias the openable body in a open direction.
Another related-art example of an image forming apparatus includes a scanner and an ADF that open and close with respect to a main body by sliding. In this case, a damper, etc., is not necessary.
However, when the entire openable body is heavy, the open-close assist mechanism thereof is relatively large, which makes it difficult to make an image forming apparatus more compact.